ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Pawan Hans's first UDAN-RCS service launched in Uttarakhand
274 UDAN routes operationalized till date
274 UDAN routes have been operationalized so far connecting 45 airports and 3 heliports since the launch of the first UDAN flight in April 2017 by Hon’ble Prime Minister from Shimla to Delhi, said Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, MoS, I/C, Civil Aviation. Flagging off the first helicopter service by Pawan Hans in Uttarakhand today under the UDAN-RCS scheme, Shri Puri said that launch of the heli service and opening of these new routes will bring people of the state closer and support tourism in the region.
This service will enable connectivity between Dehradun, New Tehri, Srinagar and Gauchar. Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, MoCA, Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Shri Sanjeev Razdan, CMD, Pawan Hans Ltd. were present during the virtual flag-off ceremony in New Delhi. The route was simultaneously inaugurated by Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from the state.
Commencement of the new heli services will enhance the aerial connectivity between hilly regions in Uttarakhand and bring down the average travel time to 20-25 minutes. This will also assist the Chaar Dhaam Yatra pilgrims. Pawan Hans Ltd. will operate thrice-weekly helicopter services on this route. Viability Gap Funding  is provided to both operators and passengers under the UDAN scheme to keep the fares affordable for the common people. Accordingly the fare for these routes is Rs. 2900 per seat. MoCA awarded the Dehradun- New Tehri – Srinagar - Gauchar route to Pawan Hans Ltd. under the UDAN 2 bidding process.
Two more networks connecting Dehradun to Ramnagar, Pantnagar, Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Dehradun to Mussoorie will also be operationalized soon by Pawan Hans Ltd.
Shri Hardeep Singh Puri congratulated Shri Trivender Singh Rawat, Chief Minister and the people of Uttarakhand. He added that with this launch, we are adding 6 more routes and 2 heliports at New Tehri and Srinagar.
Three rounds of UDAN have already been undertaken and so far close to 50 lakh passengers have travelled in UDAN flights covering airports in 19 States and 2 UTs. The fourth round of UDAN is under process. The Scheme has been able to fulfill the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister and keep up the motto of “Sab Uden, Sab Juden”
The heli services schedule of Uttarakhand is below:
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya interacts with the delegation of Single Super Phosphate  Industry
The prime focus of the discussion has been to enhance the SSP production in India to meet the field requirements as a step towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat
Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya interacted with the delegation of Single Super Phosphate  Industry today to discuss the various issues related to SSP Industry.
The Industry has been forthcoming in the current year wherein the sale of SSP increased by 18 per cent in order to meet the domestic requirements of phosphatic fertilizers especially in Rabi Season 2021-22.
The prime focus of the discussion has been to enhance the SSP production in India to meet the field requirement as a step towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
Detailed discussion to address the issues related to raw materials, support of transportation cost to industry, quality enhancement etc. were done. The Minister assured to take necessary steps to support the SSP industry in their endeavours.
The discussion and the way forward finalised in the meeting is going to go a long way in making India self-sufficient in Phosphatic fertilizers with enhanced production of SSP which is a suitable substitute of DAP.
Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department conducts searches in Tamil Nadu
The Income Tax Department has carried out searches on 28.10.2020 at 22 premises in Coimbatore, Erode, Chennai and Namakkal on a group engaged in the running of Educational Institutions and their associates, including a civil contractor. The search was carried out on the basis of information that fees collected from students were not fully accounted for in the regular books of accounts.
Evidences found during the search reveal that the allegations regarding suppression of fees received are true and the unaccounted receipts are siphoned off to the personal accounts of the trustees, which in turn are invested in real estate through a company. The other shareholders of the company, viz., an architect from Tirupur and a textile businessman were also covered. Electronic devices seized during the course of search are being examined.
During the searches in the case of the civil contractors from Namakkal, inflation of expenditure by booking bogus expenses under labour charges, material purchase, etc. has been found.
The search has led to identification of unaccounted investments and on-money payments to the extent of around Rs.150 crore. Cash amounting to Rs. 5 crore has been seized. Some lockers are yet to be operated. Search is still continuing.
Ministry of Defence
OFB units in UP and Tamil Nadu get NABL nod to test fabric for manufacturing of coveralls in fight against COVID-19
In a significant development, two units of the Ordnance Factory Board  namely the Small Arms Factory  Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh  and the Heavy Vehicle Factory  Avadi in Tamil Nadu  have been granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories  for conducting the ‘Test for Blood Penetration Resistance’ today as the test equipment manufactured by them met the ASTM F 1670:2003 and ISO 16603:2004 standards. The equipment was developed by a number of Ordnance Factories in a competitive mission mode in a record time of a fortnight.
The basic principle of the test is to expose the fabric, used as a raw material to manufacture coveralls to ‘synthetic blood’ at different pressure levels for specified periods of time. The test is essentially required to facilitate bulk manufacture of coveralls by manufacturers all over the country in large numbers for health workers and first responders dealing with patients afflicted with the Coronavirus .
Hitherto, this test was available only with South India Textile Research Association , Coimbatore in the entire country and testing of the fabric for manufacture of coveralls had emerged as a critical bottleneck especially during the nationwide lockdown and in the absence of logistics.
With the latest development, another test facility has been created in South India and the first such facility has been established in North India.
This will not only enable the OFB to ramp up production of coveralls in the clothing factories, four of which are in UP and one in TN, but will also enable other agencies engaged in the manufacture of coveralls to avail this crucial testing facility.
ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy
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Ministry of Home Affairs
VACANT POSTS IN UNION TERRITORIES
The Government has taken several steps since August 2019 to fill up all the vacant posts in the Union Territories  of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Some of these measures are:
- In the UT of J&K
- The Government has taken up recruitment drive in a transparent manner for which an Accelerated Recruitment Committee  was constituted for identifying Gazetted, Non-Gazetted & Class-IV posts and to expedite the recruitment process in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir .
- Accordingly, 26,330 posts have been identified in various departments in the UT of J&K and taken up for recruitment. Presently selection process has been completed with respect to 11,324 Gazetted, Non-Gazetted & Class-IV posts.
- In the UT of Ladakh
Administration of UT of Ladakh has taken required measures for filling up of vacant posts. Some of these measures are:
- 613 District Cadre posts have been filled.
- 293 vacant posts in Ladakh Police have been advertised.
- 45 vacant posts of JK Bank have been advertised for candidates from Ladakh.
- Besides, the UT Administration has tied up with Staff Selection Commission  for recruitment to UT/Divisional cadre posts. Accordingly, 829 UT/divisional cadre posts have been referred to SSC. District Staff Selection Board, constituted under Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council  Act is already in place for recruitment to vacant district cadre posts. All the concerned Requisitioning Authorities have been directed to send the requisition of vacant Direct Recruitment quota posts to respective Recruitment Agencies.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves enhancement in the corpus of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme for increasing the limit of admissible guarantees
Hospitality and related sectors to get a boost
Loans worth about Rs. 3.67 Lakh crore have been sanctioned under ECLGS
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the enhancement in the limit of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme  by Rs 50,000 crore from Rs. 4.5 Lakh crore to Rs. 5 Lakh crore, with the additional amount being earmarked exclusively for enterprises in hospitality and related sectors. The increase has been done on account of the severe disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality and related enterprises.
Implementation schedule:
ECLGS is a continuing scheme. The additional amount of Rs. 50,000 crore would be made applicable to enterprises in hospitality and related sectors till validity of the scheme which is 31.3.2023.
Impact:
ECLGS is an already operational scheme and on account of the disruptions caused by the COVID 19 pandemic on hospitality and related sectors, Government has specifically earmarked an amount of Rs. 50,000 crore for enterprises in these sectors. The enhancement is expected to provide much needed relief to enterprises in these sectors by incentivizing lending institutions to provide additional credit of up to Rs. 50,000 crore at low cost, thereby enabling these business enterprises to meet their operational liabilities and continue their businesses.
Loans of about Rs. 3.67 Lakh crore have been sanctioned under ECLGS till 5.8.2022.
Background:
The ongoing pandemic has adversely impacted contact-intensive sectors, especially the hospitality and related sectors more severely. While other sectors were back faster on the path of recovery, demand continued to be subdued for these sectors for longer period, suggesting the need for suitable interventions for their sustenance and recovery. Further, given their high employment intensity and their direct and indirect linkages with other sectors, their revival is also necessary for supporting overall economic recovery. Recognising this, in Union Budget 2022-23, it was announced to extend validity of ECLGS upto March, 2023 and increase in the limit of guaranteed cover of ECLGS by Rs. 50,000 crore to total cover of Rs. 5 Lakh core, with the additional amount being earmarked exclusively for the enterprises in hospitality and related sectors.
With high immunization levels, progressive roll-back of restrictions and overall economic recovery, conditions are in place for sustained growth in demand for these sectors as well. This additional guarantee cover is expected to support the recovery of these sectors as well. This additional guarantee cover is expected to support the recovery of these sectors.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Green Economy
As per IMF’s World Economic Outlook , October 2022, India is projected to grow at 6.8 per cent in the year 2022 which is one of the fastest among major economies.
Major steps taken for reducing carbon emission and moving towards sustainable development goals inter-alia include:
- Permitting Foreign Direct Investment  up to 100 percent under the automatic route for renewable energy projects
- Waiver of Inter State Transmission System  charges for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by 30th June 2025
• Declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation  up to the year 2030
- Setting up of Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks, to provide land and transmission to RE developers on a plug and play basis.
- Launch of Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan , Solar Rooftop Phase II, 12000 MW CPSU Scheme Phase II, etc.
- Laying of new transmission lines and creating new sub-station capacity under the Green Energy Corridor Scheme for evacuation of renewable power
• Transmission Plan for Integration of 500 GW Renewable Energy capacity by 2030.
• Notification of promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022.
- Launch of Green Term Ahead Market to facilitate sale of renewable energy power through exchanges.
- The Government has been proactively shutting down inefficient thermal units. A total 259 Units with capacity of 18152 MW have been retired from 10th Plan onwards till November 2022.
• The Net Zero target by 2030 by Indian Railways alone will lead to a reduction of emissions by 60 million tonnes annually. Similarly, India's massive LED bulb campaign is reducing emissions by 40 million tonnes annually.
- From 2017 onwards all thermal power capacity addition is through super critical units only. This will lead to reduction in fossil fuel consumption and thereby reducing CO2 emissions.
- Promoting Electric Vehicles and creation of charging infrastructure in the country.
• Notifying fuel efficiency norms to reduce carbon footprints for transport sector.
• Co-firing of Biomass pellets with coal is being done in thermal power plants.
• Implementation of various schemes and programmes to enhance energy efficiency.
This information was given by Shri R.K Singh, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
President's Secretariat
President of India’s Greetings on the Eve of New Year
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has sent his greetings to all fellow citizens on the eve of New Year 2022.
In a message, the President has said “On the joyous occasion of the New Year 2022, I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to all our fellow countrymen, living in India and abroad.
May the new dawn of the New Year reinvigorate the spirit of peace, prosperity and fraternity in our lives. Let us resolve to bring in the new year with endeavour to usher in progress in our society and country.
May the New Year-2022 bring a lot of happiness and good health as well as success and prosperity in your life”.
Please Click here to see the President's message -
Special Service and Features
Combined Graduate Level : Staff Selection Commission invites applications
Staff Selection Commission has invited applications for Combined Graduate Level Examination 2023. Computer based examination is conducted in three phases for various posts including Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer / Junior Statistical Officer / Research Assistant in NHRC. Applications should be submitted on the website https://ssc.nic.in before 3rd . Application fee is Rs 100. Women/ SC/ ST/ PwD/Ex-servicemen are exempted from fee. For more information contact 080 - 25502520 / 9483862020 or visit https://ssc.nic.in.
NS
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President's Secretariat
President of India virtually unveils a portrait of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at ICCR Headquarters
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, virtually unveiled the portrait of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India today  on his second death anniversary, at the headquarters of Indian Council for Cultural Relations . Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the ex-officio President of ICCR from March 1977 to August 1979 when he was Foreign Minister.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that today, through this virtual ceremony, we are paying our respects to such a brilliant nationalist who created many glorious chapters in the politics of India. He said that Atal ji was always committed to liberal thinking and democratic ideals. He left indelible mark of his unique personality and contributed a great deal during his different roles as party worker, Member of Parliament, Chairman of important standing Committees of Parliament, Leader of Opposition, Foreign Minister and Prime Minister. Atal ji, by his conduct, taught all political parties and people active in public life that the national interest was always paramount.
The President said that today the whole world was in peril due to Covid-19. But he shows his confidence that after recovering from this pandemic we will move rapidly on the path of progress and prosperity and will be successful in realising Atalji's dream of making the 21st century India's century.
Earlier this morning, the President visited the memorial of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Sadaiv Atal to pay homage to the former Prime Minister on his second death anniversary.
Click here to read the President's address in Hindi
Special Service and Features
Swaraj, an exclusive serial on unsung heroes of Indian freedom struggle in Podhigai channel
As part of the 75th Independence Day celebration, Doordarshan is all set to broadcast a 75-week serial titled “Swaraj” that elaborates the complete history of Indian freedom fighters.
The serial will be telecasted in Tamil in High Definition technology from August 20 on all Saturdays for 75 weeks at 8:00 p.m. in Doordarshan's Podhigai channel.
The programme will be re-telecasted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. respectively.
Regarding this a press conference was arranged in Chennai Doordarshan station today which was addressed by the Additional Director General of Press Information Bureau, Chennai Shri M. Annadurai, Deputy Director General and Head of Office, Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai Shri R. Krishnadas, Director, DD News, Chennai Shri B. Gurubabu and Head of Programme, Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai Shri Rafique Basha.
Shri M. Annadurai said the life history of 75 unsung heroes of Indian freedom movement from across the country will be depicted through the 75 week long TV serial.
The life journey of freedom fighters from Tamilnadu including Velu Nachiyar, Pulithevan, Veerapandiya Kattabomman will also be part of the serial, he added.
During his address Shri Rafique Basha said the channel has plans to come up with an exclusive TV serial highlighting the contribution of Tamilnadu in freedom movement which will be telecasted very soon.
Shri B. Gurubabu said DD News, Chennai is planning to conduct various programmes to mark the completion of 75th year of Independence.
Doordarshan’s YouTube channel maybe accessed to witness programmes related to freedom movement and other important historical events, stated Shri Krishnadas.
Shri M. Annadurai also announced that a commemorative postage stamp on Indian freedom fighter Ondiveeran will be released at a function in Tirunelveli’s Palayamkottai on August 20 by the Governor of Tamilnadu Shri R. N. Ravi and it will be received by Governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Smt Tamilisai Soundararajan. He also informed that Union Minister of State for Communications Shri Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri A. Narayanaswamy and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Fisheries, Dairy and Animal Husbandry Dr L. Murugan, State Tourism Minister Shri M. Madhivendhan and other dignitaries will participate in the event.
In addition, an exclusive photo exhibition on freedom fighters will be organised for 10 days in Palayamkottai by the Central Bureau of Communication, Chennai.
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Competition Commission of India
CCI passes order under Lesser Penalty Provisions against broadcasting service providers for rigging bids in tenders by Sports Broadcasters
This case was taken up by Competition Commission of India  suo motu under Section 19 of the Competition Act, 2002  based on the disclosure by Globecast India Private Limited and Globecast Asia Private Limited [collectively referred to as Globecast] under Section 46 of the Act read with the Competition Commission of India  Regulations, 2009 . Subsequently, Essel Shyam Communication Limited , now Planetcast Media Services Limited, also approached CCI as lesser penalty applicant during investigation.
CCI imposed penalty on Globecast, a subsidiary of the Orange Group , a global service provider of broadcasting services and ESCL, a technology service provider in India since 1998 with specialisation in media broadcasting, for indulging in bid-rigging in tenders floated by sports broadcasters for procurement of end-to-end broadcasting services i.e. ground segment services as well as satellite bandwidth services, for various sporting events during the period July 2011- May 2012 including Indian Premier League 2012 .
From the evidence collected in the case, CCI found that the ESCL and Globecast operated a cartel amongst them in the various sporting events held during the years 2011-12 including IPL-2012. While submitting bids for the tender floated by various broadcasters during the period July 2011- May 2012 for provision of end-to-end broadcasting services, they exchanged information and quoted bid prices as per the arrangements arrived at amongst them. As a result, they committed an infringement of the provisions of Section 3 read with Section 3 of the Act during this period.
Considering contravention of provisions of the Act by Globecast and ESCL, an amount of INR 31. 94 Crores and INR 1.33 Crores was computed as leviable penalty on ESCL and Globecast, respectively, in terms of proviso to Section 27  of the Act. While computing leviable penalty, CCI took into consideration all relevant factors including duration of cartel, mitigating factors, etc. and decided to levy penalty at the rate of 1.5 times of their profit for the period July 2011 – May 2012. Additionally, considering totality of facts and circumstances of the case, penalty leviable on individual officials of Globecast and ESCL was computed at the rate of 10 percent of the average of their income for preceding three years.
Keeping in view the stage at which the lesser penalty application was filed, co-operation extended in conjunction with the value addition provided by the evidences furnished by the lesser penalty applicants in establishing the existence of cartel, CCI granted Globecast and its individuals 100 percent reduction in the penalty and 30 percent reduction in penalty to ESCL and its individuals. Pursuant to reduction, penalty imposed on ESCL was INR 22.36 Crores . No penalty was imposed on Globecast.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
National Natural Resource Management System 
The Scheme “National Natural Resources Management System ” of the Ministry is a Central Sector Scheme. The prime objective of NNRMS scheme is utilization of Remote Sensing Technology for Inventorization, Assessment and Monitoring of the country’s natural resources.
Major achievements of the scheme inter alia includes:  Development of knowledge based decision tool to simulate mechanism of vegetation change due to climatic change in Western Himalayan Ecoregion;  Monitoring of Snow and Glaciers of Himalayan Region;  Desertification Status Mapping of India;  Soil and Water quality appraisal in the Salt Affected Land Forms of Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu using Remote Sensing  and Geographic Information System  techniques;  Application of Remote Sensing for Integrated Land use, Water and Energy Management in Rural Areas: Exploring Energy Plantation Opportunities, Public Systems Group;  Land use dynamics and its impact on microelements, structure, composition and diversity of Achanakumar - Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve using satellite remote sensing and GIS techniques; and  Natural Resources Assessment of selected Eco-Tourism sites of Gujarat and its associated environments using remote sensing and GIS.
During last five years, the Ministry has provided grant of Rs. 1.00 Crore for continuing research studies and assessment projects.
This information was given by Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in Rajya Sabha today.